Have I Told You Lately
by crazygirlne
Summary: Tentoo and Rose spend their first Valentine's Day together after they get married. This is nothing but fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_I wanted to write but didn't want to do anything serious, and what came out was a 3-part ficlet for Valentine's Day. This is nothing but fluffy fluff fluff. One part is posted today, one tomorrow, one on Valentine's Day._

* * *

The part-human Doctor stretched, wedding ring glinting in the early-morning light, before turning to look at the blonde who slept in the bed beside him.

The navy blue comforter was tucked firmly around her shoulders while one leg poked out and hung over the bed. The hair she still kept blonde was strewn across her pillow, nearly tickling the Doctor's nose as he smiled at his wife.

He quickly checked his internal clock before grinning hugely and propping himself up on one elbow, reaching out with his free hand to gently shake the sleeping woman's shoulder.

"Rose," he said softly. A lighter sleeper than she had been when she was younger, Rose groaned in protest before turning to face him.

"Whaddisit, Doctor?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"It's Valentine's Day, Rose!" the Doctor replied excitedly, and Rose took in his smile before closing her eyes again.

"It'll still be Valentine's Day in another hour or two, yeah?" she told him, pulling the blanket close again.

"But Rose!" protested the Doctor. "I've got plans. Great plans!"

Rose kept her eyes firmly shut, knowing that if she saw his face, with those big brown eyes and that _hair_ and his pleading look, her morning of sleeping in would be done for.

"Shouldnt'a kept me up watching _The Lion King_ again, then," Rose tried.

"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "my timing might not have been ideal, especially since I insisted on watching the sequels afterwards. But I've got great things planned for today, and we can't be late."

Rose sighed and opened her eyes, watching him contemplatively.

After an initial widening of his grin when he saw her eyes, the Doctor looked a little nervous when Rose continued to watch him silently.

"After I forgot during our first year here and then there was that whole unfortunate abduction incident last February, I really wanted to make up for it this year, Rose," he said. "You ask for almost nothing in the way of romance, and I've got all this input up here from Donna, and it's going to waste," he finished, tapping his head.

"Convenient," said Rose, "that after three years, this is just now helping you."

"Well," he said, tone more confident as he saw her shift her weight to get up, "we're married now, properly, on Earth instead of a planet we're only visiting. Don't want to get a reputation as a shoddy husband."

Rose leaned over to kiss him before she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, making her way over to their wardrobe.

"Where are we going, Doctor?" she asked, glancing at her assortment of clothing while missing the selection she'd have again once the TARDIS was fully grown and ready.

"It's a surprise," he said, getting out of bed and joining her, a bounce in his step. "Wear something comfortable. You look beautiful in anything."

She looked at him, seeing his smile, his hands shoved into pant pockets of pinstriped pyjamas, the way he still watched her as if he couldn't believe his luck.

"Do I have time to shower?" she asked him as she grabbed a pair of jeans and a soft pink top.

"Yup," he replied. "You have eighteen point three minutes before I have breakfast ready, and then we leave right after."

"Not gonna join me in the shower, then?" she asked as she made her way to the en suite.

"Rose, that would mean we don't have time for breakfast," he said, looking torn as she removed her over-sized t-shirt before starting the water.

"We have those Torchwood-issued meal bars," she suggested, shimmying out of her knickers.

His lips parted slightly as he watched her, hands involuntarily moving to unbutton his own top.

"Not very romantic, meal bars," he said, giving in to her suggested distraction as she stepped into the already-warm water. "Even though Valentine's Day didn't really start out for romance as much as for kindness, I was under the distinct impression that the modern Valentine's holiday is supposed to be as romantic as possible."

"What if I were to tell you," said Rose from behind the curtain as the Doctor finished disrobing, "they sent a new flavor for testing?"

"Hmmm," said the Doctor contemplatively, moving closer to the shower. "Experimentation can be romantic, I suppose, but it might depend on the flavor."

Rose peered around the shower curtain to watch his face as she spoke, looking him over appreciatively before meeting his eyes.

"It's banana," she told him, smiling as his eyes widened before he all but leapt into the shower with her.

"Well," he said, hands on her waist as he leaned down for a kiss, "that is certainly acceptable."

Rose hummed in agreement, and their shower passed quickly, splashes and sighs mingling as the two started their first Valentine's Day as husband and wife.


	2. Chapter 2

After their shower, Rose and the Doctor dressed quickly, grabbed a couple of meal bars-the Doctor pronounced them a perfect balance of banana flavoring and caffeine-and left, the Doctor climbing into the driver's seat of their shared vehicle instead of letting Rose drive as he normally would.

"We're exactly on schedule, Rose," he said, beaming at her for a moment before returning his attention to the road.

"What's first, then, Doctor?" asked Rose.

"Nope!" the Doctor replied cheerfully. "The whole day is a surprise. We'll be at our first stop in no time. Well, it will take some time, of course, but not much time."

The drive passed quickly, Rose listening to the Doctor's explanations about Valentine's Day and responding with acknowledgements in all the right places. They arrived at their first location as the Doctor was still speaking.

"And so," he said, "that's why you should never go to the planet Raflaxik on Valentine's Day."

"Yeah," agreed Rose. "That's doesn't sound like a great place to be." She paused, looking around as they finished parking. "We're at the cinema?"

"Yup!" answered the Doctor, beaming at Rose. "They're having a special showing of Grounded today."

At Rose's blank look, the Doctor continued.

"It came out while we were," he stopped for a moment, fishing for the right word, "apart. I remember you saying you didn't watch any romantic comedies during that time, and since romantic comedies are practically a given for Valentine's Day, I thought maybe you'd like this one." He pulled on his ear briefly before smiling at her again. "Besides, Grounded doesn't exist back in our home universe, unique to this world! And, it has aliens."

Rose smiled at the Doctor, caught up in his enthusiasm.

"Sounds great, Doctor," she told him. "Does it have real aliens?" she asked as they got out of the car and made their way into the building, the Doctor flashing pre-purchased tickets as they entered.

"Not for most of it," he said. "There's a brief cameo by a Flarrrginian-that's three Rs-but I don't want to spoil the ending."

They purchased a large popcorn and a large drink, then found their seats in the nearly deserted theater. Rose leaned her head on the Doctor's shoulder as they watched the film. Because there was nobody seated near them, the two were able to speak quietly about the scenes on the screen.

"Wait," asked Rose a few minutes in. "So is Sandra Bullock's character the alien or is Benedict Cumberbatch's?"

"Neither," responded the Doctor happily. "It's Keanu Reeves. He'll land in a moment. Horrible depiction of it, really. The aerodynamics of the space craft are all wrong for that sort of landing."

After watching a flirtation between Reeves' and Bullock's characters, Rose spoke again.

"Those two are gonna get together, yeah?" she asked, snagging another handful of popcorn from the bucket the Doctor held on his lap.

"Nah," he said. "His character is the emotional equivalent of a sixteen year old."

Rose made a face.

"Age difference isn't always a bad thing," she said, squeezing his arm, "but I can see how that particular combination might not be a good one."

In companionable silence, the Doctor and Rose watched the alien character take steps toward placing himself in a position of power, lobbying to become President. Meanwhile, Bullock and Cumberbatch grew closer as they kept an eye on the strange person who'd landed between their neighboring houses.

"Ah, here we are," said the Doctor as the movie seemed to be nearing its climax, the alien poised to take over first the country, then the world.

With impressively bad effects, another alien space ship arrived on screen. A large, purple blob with four tentacles exited the craft, immediately summoning his son, played by Reeves. After a touching speech through which Rose learned that Reeves had thought his father had died shortly after grounding him to Earth, Reeves shifts into a smaller purple blob as he deactivates his perception filter, and he waves goodbye before boarding his father's ship. The movie ends on Bullock's and Cumberbatch's characters looking at each other in confusion.

As the lights came back on in the theater, Rose looked at the Doctor, who was beaming happily at her again.

"That was brilliant," he said. "I'd read the plot and seen some stills, of course, which is how I knew some of what was going to happen, but that was even better than I'd imagined."

Rose stared for a moment before smiling back at him.

"It certainly was a surprise," she said, and they got up from their seats and started back toward the car.

"Just you wait, Rose Tyler," said the Doctor, a bounce in his step as they walked through the parking lot, arms linked. "This was only the first thing I had planned for today! Our Valentine's Day is going to be fantastic."


	3. Chapter 3

Lunch, it seemed, was to be skipped altogether in favor of the Doctor's next destination.

"Welcome to the largest candy shop on the continent, Rose!" the Doctor said, grinning and gesturing around the impressively large shop.

Rose's jaw dropped slightly as she took in the rows upon rows of sweets.

"I couldn't decide on Valentine's chocolates for you," he told her, "so I decided to offer the whole store."

He beamed at her, head tilted slightly to the side as he watched her.

"Blimey, Doctor," said Rose, "there's so many."

"Yup," he said, moving down one of the aisles, "and you, Rose Tyler, are to pick anything that tickles your fancy!"

After spending nearly an hour in the shop, Rose and the Doctor left, laden with sweets. They placed most of their purchases in the car, taking one package of sweets each as they walked to a nearby park. Since they were eating, Rose and the Doctor weren't holding hands while they strolled through the park, but they bumped shoulders as frequently as they exchanged laughs and smiles.

"This has been a great day, Doctor," said Rose as they turned back toward the car.

"It isn't over yet," he said while Rose wondered whether his cheeks were sore yet from all the smiling he'd done so far that day. "We've still got a few hours until dinner, but the next item on the agenda will help us make room for our meals."

They drove for a while, leaving the city behind for a hillier region. When they finally parked, Rose could see nothing but a pathway.

"We're going on a trek," said the Doctor. "Mutual physical exertion is supposed to promote bonding, and that's the very definition of romance, right? Always did like running with you," he finished with a wink.

"That sounds great, Doctor," said Rose, glad she'd chosen functional shoes that morning.

Rose and the Doctor set off along the hilly path at a brisk pace, holding hands as they went. After just a few minutes, Rose felt a raindrop splash on her face.

Then she felt another, and another, until it was pouring.

With a squeal and a smile-and a quick moment to be grateful she wasn't wearing a white shirt-Rose turned back in the direction of the car, and she and the Doctor ran, still linked at the hand, until they reached the car and quickly took shelter.

As she shut the car door behind her, Rose laughed, enjoying both the exertion and the stimulation of the cold rain. She reached to turn the heat up higher and realised the Doctor was silent.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" she asked, smile fading.

"It wasn't supposed to rain," he answered, a slight crease between his brows. "Today was supposed to be perfect, and my plans didn't include rain interrupting our hike."

Rose took his hand, resisting a shiver as her adrenaline wore off.

"S'ok, Doctor," she said. "Today's been perfect because we're together, yeah? All the planning you did has been great, but s'long as I'm with you, the day couldn't get better."

"Yeah?" asked the Doctor, looking up at her from under wet eyelashes.

"Yes," she replied firmly, smiling at him.

After a quick stop home to change into dry clothes, the couple made it to the restaurant just in time for their reservations. They enjoyed a nice dinner with a casual but intimate atmosphere, trading stories and bites of food, oblivious to the employees who watched the loving couple with smiles and happy whispers. Following a complimentary dessert of a banana split for two, Rose and the Doctor headed home, arriving about two hours after sunset.

"Today was lovely, Doctor," said Rose as she got out of the car. "Thank you."

The Doctor made a happy sound.

"It's not over yet, Rose," he told her, coming around the car and taking her hand, leading her to their adequate backyard rather than to the front door.

Rose raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any questions, having realized hours earlier that he'd not tell her about any plans for this day of his.

At the back of the house, there was a ladder leaning up against a nearly-flat portion of their roof. The Doctor grinned at Rose and gestured for her to climb the ladder while he grabbed a bundle from the covered porch.

He joined her on the roof a moment later, unrolling a blanket and carefully placing an unopened bottle of champagne next to it.

"Make yourself comfortable, Mrs. Tyler," he said, sounding pleased. "The weather cooperated after all, so it shouldn't further, erm, _dampen_ our plans."

Rose chuckled at the pun as she followed his suggestion, stretching out on the soft blanket and looking up at the clear night sky. She could see endless stars, and she watched them longingly before turning to look at her husband, who'd stretched out beside her. She scooted closer to him, resting her head on his arm so she could still easily see the stars.

"Just a couple more weeks before our TARDIS is ready for travel, Rose," the Doctor said, staring into the twinkling sky. "I thought this would be a good end to our day."

"Choosing somewhere to go," said Rose with a smile. "I love it, Doctor."

He pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her as best he could without obstructing her view.

"And I love you, Rose Tyler," he said. "Have I told you that lately?"

"Mmm," said Rose, smiling again as she thought about the fact that he'd made a point to say it at least once a day since their second time on that beach in Norway. "Might have done. Happy Valentine's Day, Doctor."


End file.
